Durban International Film Festival 2013

At the Blue Waters Hotel, the DIFF headquarters.
Look at me all smug with my DIFF bag and media tag!

Ok fuck!  I have been moping around for a month now complaining that “I have writers block”,  blah blah.  Meanwhile I have spent July going to the most amazing functions and parties – what more inspiration does one need! I tell you – sometimes I could just slap myself. Naughty! So within the next few days I will try to catch you up on the last month.

Ok so the last thing on my agenda was the Durban International Film Fest (DIFF). This is always a highlight for me - remember last year with the strippers and the getting drunk – well there was none of that this year. I was the picture of a good journalist, which I had to be because the whole festival became a media spectacle.

I attended the opening night in the usual full regalia, my small purse however did not allow for a pen and pad – the usual tools of my trade. But I thought what the hell, it’s the same every year and all the major points will be sent to me in an e-mail. Friends, I have never been so wrong! The evening started out as it usually does with speeches before an opening movie. This year instead of the opening film, we saw a notice. The film and Publication board had chosen that morning to ban the movie ‘Of Good Report’ for its depiction of child pornography. I tell you, it took me a good few minutes to realise what just happened. What had happened was that I was ill prepared for this kind of twist in the plot and I spent the next hour typing a page one lead on my blackberry. So it is safe to say I learned many things that night and the most important was: “NEVER BE UNPREPARED”!

The opening party.

We could go back and forth on our thoughts on banning and artistic rights but this is not the forum (although you are welcome to read any of my articles on the subject). The opening night for me was an opportunity to do some real journalism and I learned so much. I was lucky enough to meet the Jahmil Qubeka, the director, and speak to him about his film at the after party. The after party, by the way, which I decided to attend after having to write a sudden page one lead ON MY BLACKBERRY! I tried to get drunk. I must say though that the after party lived up to its usual splendor. There was the nomadic tent on the lawn of Suncoast Casino, a Latino band, yummy food and plenty of free drinks – but alas I went home sober - probably because my nerves had been shot.

The festival was a bit of a disappointment for me. My favorite part of DIFF is spending my days watching wonderful films. There were endless problems with formats and film classifications. On one particular day I went to watch four movies, but could only see one because of the aforementioned problems. I had to watch ‘World War Z’ instead of one ‘Spring Breakers’ and straight afterwards I went in to watch ‘Zombie Land’ only for that to be replaced by ‘World War Z’. I was in no mood for that! “Ain’t nobody got time for that”, as Divine Brown would say.

At the Closing party.

Fresh pizza at the Closing party.

The closing of DIFF was a wonderful day. I had been given some VIP tickets to Taste of Durban thanks to Vida e Caffee, which was held on the grounds of Suncoast. So I got to fill up on the most amazingly yummy foods and Champaign and wines and chocolates and snacks before heading into the movie theatre. I met my friend and colleague there, which turned out to be lucky for me because DIFF announced the unbanning of ‘Of Good Report’, so I would need to stay over to cover the film the following day. Once again I was unprepared, this time because of my lack of a change of clothes and a toothbrush.

The award speeches were rather long and unprepared but the evening ended wonderfully with a party at The Blue Waters Hotel. We spent the night eating handmade pizzas, listening to music and enjoying good conversation.

The Good Food and Wine show.

I was up early the following morning to watch an amazing film by Qubeka. I got to put DIFF to bed with an amazing sense of accomplishment having learned so many life lessons (I now keep a spare toothbrush in my car).

With director Jahmil Qubeka before the opening of his film 'Of Good Report'. Can you tell I haven't slept?

There are just a few points I want to make – mostly because I am a bitch. If DIFF had put their selected movies through to the Film and Publications Board to be reviewed earlier, then the banning and unbanning debacle could all have happened before the festival took place. Although we would have record of it going through this process, we would not have had the drama of the opening night. The fiasco did encourage a lot of conversation about banning laws in South Africa, and I know that the performance by the director was preplanned (the taping of the mouth and ripping up of the ID book –which was actually his wife’s temp passport). I wonder perhaps if DIFF has changed from its original purpose of showcasing art, to becoming a public mouthpiece. Not that I object to that at all. I would perhaps like a little warning because I went to DIFF to celebrate art, not to discuss my right to celebrate art. But what the banning did do was make the festival world – renowned and give a young director a wonderful platform for his next big creation – and well deserved I’d say.

My review as it appeared in The Witness Newspaper.